• PGA Championship, Round Three

Karlsson flies into contention as Wood leads the way

Chris Wood © Getty Images

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Robert Karlsson produced a stunning effort to surge into contention as Chris Wood holds a two-shot lead at the PGA Championship at Wentworth.

After a second round 70 left him three-over after 36 holes, the Swede flew home to Monaco in the belief he had missed the cut. After discovering he had qualified for the weekend's action, Karlsson had to charter a private jet to fly to London, arriving at the course an hour before his tee time after just two hours' sleep.

He showed no sign of fatigue, as he birdied holes two, three and four to start in sparkling fashion. Six further birdies followed, including at the 18th, and a course record 62 moved him up to six-under par.

"Don't touch my putter - you might burn your hands," the 2008 Order of Merit winner said after sinking nine birdies. "I've been in this position a few times and know it's important to keep going. I said 'we've got invited to this party, so let's party'."

Wood hit six birdies and two bogeys as he went round in four-under-par to move two shots clear at eight-under. But despite his position at the top of the leaderboard, he revealed he was not completely happy with his game, and he credited playing partner Padraig Harrington for helping him card a 67.

"I didn't feel on top of my game and I didn't feel like I was hitting the ball as well as I would have liked to," he told the BBC. "But when you are playing with someone like Harrington - he is the ultimate grinder we have on the Tour - no matter how he's playing he keeps going and I have looked up to him and that helped me today."

First round leader Danny Willett moved up to share second place with Karlsson after a topsy-turvy 70 in which the Englishman failed to find any consistency. Willet parred just two holes on the back nine as he hit a string of birdies followed by bogeys.

Luke Donald is three shots off the lead after a disappointing day for the overnight leader. An eagle on the fourth was a glimmer of hope among four bogeys in his opening nine holes, but a bogey-free back nine helped steady the ship as he carded a one-over 72 to stay in touch of the leaders.

Paul Casey and Padraig Harrington are on three-under after they both shot rounds of 72. Casey looked to have the upper hand as he hit a flawless front nine, but three bogeys on the bounce between 12 and 14 saw him slip back, while two bogeys and a birdie saw Harrington card a consistent but unspectacular 72.

Casey and Harrington are tied for fifth place with Scotland's Stephen Gallacher, James Kingston and Marcel Siem, while South Korean teenager Seung-yul Noh hit six birdies as he carded an impressive five-under 66 to move up to two-under.

Justin Rose and Ross Fisher are both on level-par but enjoyed conflicting days. Rose moved up the field after a stunning eagle-birdie finish to card a 70, while Fisher's double bogey on the 17th saw him slip to a 74.

Two birdies on the final two holes salvaged a disappointing day for Lee Westwood. The world No. 3 bogeyed five holes between eight and 15 to leave him at two-over with a mountain to climb if he is to finish in the money on Sunday.

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